Lauren Shelly began working for the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) in 2008 after being a communications intern in the summer of 2007. A non-golfer, she began her career in golf through the AJGA’s internship program after graduating from Elon University with a degree in communications and a minor in business administration. She quickly realized she had found her niche. She was initially hired as a Tournament Coordinator, running and assisting a total of 13 events in her first eight months, while achieving a 96 on the PGA-USGA Rules of Golf test.
AFRICAN AMERICAN GOLF EXPO ORGANIZER JIM ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO REGISTER AND MAKE THEIR HOTEL RESERVATIONS NOW! https://aagolfexpo.com/register-here
With a passion for recruiting, Lauren was promoted to the Director of Recruiting and Special Events in the fall of 2008 and spent over a decade building the AJGA’s internship program into the backbone of the organization. Under her leadership, the program has grown exponentially from 100s to 1000s of applicants, while improving the hiring process and impacting the next generation of AJGA staff and industry leaders not only in golf but in sports and corporate America.
Currently, as the Director of Training and Development, she focuses her time on training and educating the AJGA staff on personal growth and professional development, while overseeing the internship program. She focuses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives centered around membership and hiring for the organization. Utilizing her special events background, Lauren also annually runs the Rolex Junior All-America Awards Banquet and several company functions.
ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GOLF EXPO AND FORUM
The mission of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum is to promote the game, the business the industry the careers, and the opportunities in the $84 Billion golf industry to African Americans.
The objectives of the EXPO are to :
1) Promote economic growth, diversity, and inclusion in golf to African Americans and other underrepresented groups
2) Provide a friendly and welcoming environment for golf industry leaders to develop relationships with African Americans who are entrepreneurs, community programmers, and golf enthusiasts.
3) Help grow the industry by featuring subject matter experts in learning forums, seminars, and networking opportunities
4) Provide funding to grassroots organizations involved in teaching and promoting golf to the African American community.
